Chapter Thirty-One: Battling the Bone Dragon

Through this conversation, the residents were filled with a newfound determination; from this moment on, the Commander’s ideals became their own. Wherever the Commander pointed his sword, that was the direction they would strive toward. It could be said that the city was now united as one. Once people have a goal, they will fight for it—especially one as grand as this.

Shen Yi felt deeply gratified. After all, having sacrificed so much, gaining the support of so many people was worth it. Though these individuals were not powerful, Shen Yi did not mind. As long as they possessed the heart to grow stronger, he had ways to help them achieve greatness. Backed by the capabilities of three major races, if he still couldn't make these people strong, he would consider himself a fool. However, they were now facing a challenge from both the Undead and the Orcs. He felt confident in his human base, but as the Undead army drew closer day by day, everyone knew this would be an unprecedented clash.

No one knew which was stronger, the Undead or the puppets, but all those watching knew that both represented something mysterious and powerful. On the other side, the Orc race, which had remained still, finally finished assembling. A massive army of five hundred thousand stretched across the land like a furry beast-skin carpet. Because the commotion was so great, the entire continent trembled. People wondered if such a massive mobilization was necessary—was a single puppeteer truly worth the combined effort of two races?

As the Undead army closed in, Shen Yi’s phone was ringing off the hook. He was currently taking a call from Wang Sheng.

"You must hold on! Your puppets are too significant to humanity; the enemy is afraid. If they don't destroy you now, you will become their greatest obstacle once you grow stronger!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. But tell me, what is the Holy Dragon Empire's stance? Are you helping or not? We’ve been chatting for a long time, and I still can’t tell if you’re providing support."

"Of course we are! His Majesty said the army is gathering and should be able to depart soon!"

"Do you believe that?"

"I do. This isn't something they would lie about."

"Fine, let’s leave it at that. I need to organize our defenses." Shen Yi hung up and connected to a call from Hu Yu.

"How is it? Are you scared?" Hu Yu’s bell-like voice came through the phone.

"When have I ever been scared? We are partners, after all. They are about to reach my doorstep, and your Demon race hasn't made a move yet?"

"Big brother, we are hundreds of thousands of miles away; how could we make it in time? Oh my, I see the Undead army. A vast expanse of white—how spectacular!"

"You're back?" Shen Yi asked curiously.

"Yes! I'll talk to you later, I'm going to go say hello to the Undead army, haha!" Hu Yu let out a goose-like cackle and hung up.

As it turned out, upon returning to the Demon Beast Mountains, Hu Yu had reported everything that happened in the city to the Demon Emperor. The skeptical Emperor insisted on coming along. Sitting next to Hu Yu in the Ghost Fighter jet was a kind-looking middle-aged man—the Emperor of the Demon race himself.

"Yu'er, please stop laughing. Your uncle has a weak heart!"

"Only if you tell me what your true form is, Uncle."

"You’d better keep laughing," the middle-aged man said, looking through the window at the boundless sea of skeletons. A trace of disdain flashed inadvertently in his eyes.

"Uncle, who is faster, you or my Ghost Fighter?" Hu Yu teased, sensing the Emperor's boredom.

"That depends on how you look at it. In terms of endurance, I am not its match, but in terms of short-term bursts, it cannot compare to me. But that doesn't matter. I am curious about the combat effectiveness of this Ghost Fighter," the Emperor said, smiling at the sea of bones.

"I’m curious too!"

"Then let’s test it against that bone dragon."

The two had spotted a bone dragon circling above the sea of bones, flying toward the Ghost Fighter with clear hostile intent. The pilot received Hu Yu’s order to engage and steered the jet toward the dragon.

On the ground, the Undead army slowed and eventually stopped to watch the spectacle. This was the first battle since the march began, and everyone was fixed on the scene. Shen Yi was also watching through satellite imagery; this was the debut of his Ghost Fighter.

The Ghost Fighter initiated the attack. Two air-to-air missiles broke away from the fuselage, leaving white trails as they streaked toward the bone dragon. The dragon, as if sensing the danger, dodged the projectiles with a narrow, massive movement. As it evaded, the belly of the fighter split open, and a machine cannon extended. The jet tilted its nose up and began to decelerate as it climbed.

As the jet rose, the dark cannon barrels locked onto the dragon below and opened fire. The barrels spun rapidly, and bullets poured out like wild horses toward the dragon’s skull. The dragon, having just dodged the missiles, was struck by a torrent of metal, and a thunderous roar echoed. The bone dragon’s massive head swayed as it tried to escape the barrage, but no matter how it moved, the cannon adjusted its aim.

The Ghost Fighter fired two more missiles from above. The first two, which had missed, circled back in the air. For a creature as large as the bone dragon, dodging became impossible. If it wanted to attack the jet above, it would have to lift its head and unleash its dragon breath, but the constant cannon fire forced it to keep its head down. It was incredibly frustrating.

The dragon flapped its wings, trying to fly upward to match the altitude of the jet. Before it could get far, the missiles struck home. With four thunderous explosions, they detonated against the dragon's body. The shockwaves rippled through the air, and bone dust rained down upon the Undead army watching below. Knocked off balance, the bone dragon spiraled toward the ground.

The Undead army was stunned. It was simply too powerful! A skeleton soldier on the ground even covered its mouth in shock, watching the miraculous scene in the sky. "That’s a dragon, right? Did it just get beaten up?"

Near the ground, the bone dragon regained its balance. The ghostly fire in its eyes flickered, showing its fury as it flapped its wings to charge back toward the Ghost Fighter. No one noticed the faint crack that had appeared on its skull under the machine gun fire.

Whether it was out of rage, the dragon began unleashing dragon breath long before it was in range, charging toward the jet while spitting fire. The Ghost Fighter’s cannon poured fire in return. The white dragon breath and the torrent of bullets collided in the air. The bullets could not penetrate the white breath to harm the dragon. In this standoff, the dragon gradually closed the distance, spewing breath as if it cost nothing.

The missiles were gone, and the cannon couldn't pierce the dragon's defenses. It seemed the dragon had won this round, waiting for its breath to engulf the damned flying puppet. The Undead army finally felt a sense of relief—if they had hearts, that is.

"Commander Hu Yu, the subordinate requests a temporary withdrawal," the pilot said without looking back.

Hu Yu pouted, frustrated. "Is there really no other way? Why is this big, stupid dragon so tough?"

"Enough, stop fussing. This is a peak Level 5 bone dragon; it takes some effort for me to beat it too," the Demon Emperor said, patting Hu Yu’s head.

The Emperor had not missed a single detail of the battle from the start. He admitted that the puppet called the "Ghost Fighter" was formidable, but it had a fatal flaw: high attack, low defense. In the Emperor's eyes, he had already assessed it; if the dragon had landed a single hit during the encounter, the fighter wouldn't have been so passive. Furthermore, the pilot’s combat awareness was impeccable—never once attempting to get too close. The tactical execution was perfect: two missiles to bait, followed by the machine gun to distract. The timing of the missiles circling back and the launch of the second pair were flawless, forcing the dragon to take maximum damage in a single moment. The Emperor couldn't help but look twice at the pilot.

"Let’s go. It seems we have to retreat." Hu Yu was slightly depressed, but she knew the Ghost Fighter's performance had exceeded her expectations.

Upon receiving the order, the cannon retracted into the fuselage. Without the cannon’s obstruction, the bone dragon closed the distance much faster, though it kept spewing its breath. Just as the fire was about to engulf the jet, the Ghost Fighter vanished in the air!

It disappeared right before the eyes of the dragon and the Undead army on the ground! Everyone was bewildered. The bone dragon stopped in mid-air, its locomotive-sized head looking left and right, finding nothing. Refusing to believe it, it rubbed its eyes with its bony claws, but still, there was nothing. All the heads of the Undead army tilted up, but the sky held nothing but clouds and a confused bone dragon.

The Ghost Fighter, right under the dragon's nose, leisurely flew away toward the Endless Forest. After a moment of surprise, the Demon Emperor understood: they couldn't see them. It was stealth. How terrifying could a puppet that could turn invisible be?

The Emperor dared not think further. He had expected the Ghost Fighter to rely on its speed to escape, but it had exceeded all expectations by going invisible. He finally realized that stealth was the Ghost Fighter’s greatest trump card. The Emperor thought to himself that this battle was well worth watching; taking Hu Yu out for this "outing" was definitely his wisest decision.